Interview with PILS Fellow Kylie Kaltenberg

This year’s 26th Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do Gooders Auction to support the Public Interest Law Society (PILS) will take place on February 15, 2019 at Marquette Law School.  Here is a link to details about the event.  Attendees may purchase tickets online and check out items that are being auctioned.  The theme this year is Game On!  The proceeds from the auction go to support scholarships for Marquette law students to engage in public interest work during the summer.   This is an interview with 2L Kylie Kaltenberg, who had a PILS Fellowship last summer.

Where did you work as a PILS Fellow?

I worked at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee this past summer.

What kind of work did you do there?

The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee helps low income individuals with a variety of civil legal matters. I was able to help attorneys and clients with various landlord/tenant disputes. I was also able to see firsthand how Wisconsin law has changed regarding the protections afforded to tenants. I also worked a great deal with the Milwaukee Jail ensuring the inmates were being housed in suitable conditions. For me, to generalize all that I was able experience this past summer:  my experience was like seeing in real life the cases I had read about during my 1L year.

How was the experience meaningful to you?

Not only was I able to apply the lessons I had been learning over the course of law school, I was able to help clients and learn more about who I am as a future attorney. I learned that I have the ability to make a significant difference in the lives of my future clients. There was nothing more meaningful than seeing the work I did have a real impact and change a person’s circumstances. This experience solidified that public interest law is what I want to pursue as a future Marquette lawyer.

What did you learn in the course of your work?

Not only did I learn how to apply Wisconsin law in real cases where I had the ability to impact the outcome, I learned how to interact with clients as a legal intern with knowledge of the law. Through communicating with clients and attorneys I learned how to apply what I had learned in class to help a client in need. This experience taught me to speak up and have confidence in my abilities. The attorneys I worked with knew what I was capable of before even I did, and they helped me learn how to come out of my shell and truly advocate for a client. Through this experience I learned what it means to be a future public interest lawyer.

What do you like best about doing public interest law work?

Public interest law is the reason I decided to attend law school. In public interest work, every day is a new problem to solve, and for me, that is exciting and challenging. I love being able to interact with clients and help make a significant difference in someone’s life.

What are you doing to help with the Do-Gooders Auction?

I am Co-Vice President of Auction Execution, so in working with the others on the Board, I have helped put together everything you will see at this year’s Auction! Of course, I will also be bidding on all the amazing baskets and playing the games to win prizes!

Thank you for your service to the community, Kylie.

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